GOLDSMITH BLOG

E Litter - On the Move

May 29, 2014
The E Litter is on the move..which makes my visits so much more fun.  Up until now the pictures have been of sleeping puppies...namely because that is what they did the first two weeks...aside from eating and pooping.  Their awake periods are longer and more frequent and they are in a frenzy when their mom walks by. 

My favorite moment so far was on Monday...they were awake and moving around in their box so I climbed in and got on my knees with head at their level....they looked at me and four of them started barking and growling!  Very cute...some of them were barking as though they were startled..some sounded like they were challenging me.  Ms. Orange was the only brave one that came charging at me on wobbly legs, falling on her face in front of me....she wanted to check me out.  I must confess...don't tell the other puppies...that Ms. Orange is my favorite.  She is the one that has responded to my holding them....likes to nuzzle my neck and then looks for my chin to sniff and lick...then she puts her head back an stares at me in wonder.  Think she's going to be a cuddler.

They will get stronger and steadier on their legs this week...the play fighting has begun...good natured right now and pretty much just gumming each other...teeth will come in in the next week and fighting will be more intense and with more intent.  Personalities will really start to present themselves next week.  Gloria will start feeding them while standing...again all to strengthen their legs.

4 Weeks will be a pretty significant stage in their lives....will be walking around without wobbling....will have their first puppy mushed food at this age and will be introduced to the back yard.
 

E Litter 2 weeks old!

May 25, 2014
Two weeks old!  Eyes are open...they are reacting to noise.  They are traveling across the whelping box and we had some escapees this last week. One of them was little Ms Red....so size has nothing to do with it - it's all about determination. Have raised the door to the box to keep them contained...too young to be venturing out of their safe area. And there's puppy breath...wonderful smelling puppy breath...nothing quite like it!

Weight gains have been mostly good...there's the odd day when o...
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E Litter Gloria & Duke

May 22, 2014
How do you measure 10 days...by hours..by minutes...by visits to the puppies...that seems to be how I am measuring time and progress.  10 days old doesn't sound like much but then again May 11th seems a distant memory.  When the puppies get to 10 days I worry less about their well being - still attentive and observant - just not fussing over every squeak and whine.  They all feel strong and some are down right chunky. I continue to give Ms Red her special time with Gloria - when you're that ...
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E Litter 1 Week Old

May 19, 2014
8 days have passed since the birth of the E litter and I'm very happy to say that everyone is doing really well.  Gloria has made a good recovery from her c section and spay procedure.  Was concerned at the beginning of the week but she has that gleam in her eye and spring in her step again.  Quite satisfied with all 6 puppies' weight gains.  Again beginning of the week it was a little concerning but now they all look like they've grown a lot.  Ms Pink weighs 694 grams; Ms Orange 612 grams; M...
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E Litter Gloria x Duke

May 14, 2014
E Litter is on Day 4 and all is well.  Last night weigh-ins showed weight gain by all puppies.  There are always some greedy ones that gain by leaps and bounds and then there are two where you are just happy they are doing some gaining.  I have supplemented Little Ms Red and Mr Green several times and that has made the difference - given them strength to fight for that spot at the milk bar.  With only 6 puppies there should be plenty of milk for everyone but the c section and spaying procedur...
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Happy Mother's Day "E" litter!

May 12, 2014
Well - they're here - 6 members of the "E Litter" made their entrance in the wee hours of the morning of Mother's Day.  Stage 1 labor started Saturday morning....my thought was - great, pups will be born during the day.  Hour after hour went by - lots of panting...glazed eyes...bathroom breaks....labor just didn't progress -sat with Gloria for most of the evening, waiting for the contractions to start.  By  11 pm I was very concerned...she should have been pushing by that time...I called the ...
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Waiting...for the E Litter

May 9, 2014
We are waiting...waiting for the birthing process to start and to welcome the E Litter.  Gloria gained another 1/2 inch putting her measurements at 39.5 inches or 100.5 cms.  She is the same size as Jazz with her Nov 30 litter.  Gloria is in good spirits - resting a lot - eyeing the shrubs in the backyard as well as under the deck...scouting out a good place to have her pups.  She'll have to be okay with a nice soft bed in the house for her puppies.  Today is the first time in a long time tha...
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Gloria's Last week Day 58

May 6, 2014
A bit of growth in the last few days - 39 inches or 99.06 cm...starting to doubt my prediction of 6 or 7 pups!  We're still going for slow short walks..Gloria is eating less at meals - occasional vomiting - all normal at this stage in her pregnancy - pups are taking up a lot of room.  This is my favorite time - love to feel the puppies, move, squirm and kick...validation that there is life in that large mid section.  Will start taking her temperature this week.  It will help me understand wha...
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Gloria Day 55

May 2, 2014
Lots of growth in the last week.  Gloria is measuring  whopping 38.5 inches around her girth.  Starting to look really "full"
Our walk today was half the distance and half the pace...she's still excited about the walk so we'll do it for a few  more days. Trying to be very careful with her to not get bumped by Dinnye - Gloria likes to go in and out a door before Dinnye...a hard bump could cause labor to start early...something we can't afford...puppies would most likely not survive being born a...
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E Litter Day 50 of Gestation

April 26, 2014
We are in the home stretch.  Today is Day 50 of Gloria's gestation period.  Day 63 is the target date for her litter...should be within a day either way since we have exact dates of mating.  Gloria measures 37" (93.98 cms)  She was 37.25" with her litter in 2012 with 9 pups.  She is still enjoying our daily walks...1 mile is still a good distance though our pace is a little slower than usual and she's quite tired by the time we're back home.  Maintaining her muscle tone is very important to t...
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E Litter May 10

April 21, 2014
Happy Easter!    Lots to be thankful for.  Gloria is growing weekly - her girth is now 36.5 " (92.71 cms)  Gloria has a shorter body so she shows fairly quickly and bulges outward.  She is looking very pleased about herself.. I'm pretty sure Dinnye is not pregnant...unless there's a single puppy - she has not grown in girth...her personality is a bit different than normal and that's why we were holding out that she may be pregnant.  It is disappointing...I guess she just wasn't meant to be a ...
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E Litter due May 10 2014

April 11, 2014
It is with 98% certainty that Gloria is pregnant!  5 days ago I wasn't seeing enough signs that indicated the breeding had taken.  There were a few things - she was resting more - stretching out on the living room floor and sleeping.  Normal for her is sitting by our livingroom window and watching the neighbors and street activity. She ate very little last week - she normally has a good appetite.  Even a rustling of a bag did not pique her attention enough to check to see if it meant food.  O...
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And then there were four...

January 28, 2014
Pretty quite around here with only 4 puppies remaining.  The other 5 littermates left last week and I am grateful I got to meet some great people in person.  I have heard from everyone that all of the puppies are doing well and adjusting to their new surroundings.  Mr Blue Green and Purple fly to Yellowknife tomorrow and Mr. Red flies to his new family in Vancouver.  These are early morning flights - I will be leaving my house at 3:15 am for the airport.  Mr. Orange is going to hang out with ...
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The Dream Team

January 17, 2014
7 weeks is coming upon us...where did he last 7 weeks go?  Not ready for the puppies to leave yet...went a bit camera crazy today....have posted many pictures on the Goldsmith Facebook page...will also post them on the Dream Litter page.
Puppies range from 9.75 lbs to 13 lbs....with most in the 12 pound range.  Jazz is now feeding them only twice a day...will reduce once daily on the weekend and be totally done by mid week. This past weekend she let me know that she needed to do less.  Mom alw...
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Dream Litter 6 Week Portraits

January 11, 2014
Be sure to check out the 6 Week Portrait page.  This was a solo effort - used the timer on the camera  - most of them turned out okay.  Today was a big day for the puppies.  A lot of firsts....first time going outside...first time riding in a vehicle....first vet visit...first vaccinations...tattooing.  They were real troopers...everyone handled it with ease.  Perfect bills of health for all puppies...this has not happened in the last while...the combination of Jazz and Duke is looking to be ...
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Dream Litter - big big pups!

January 6, 2014
5 weeks old and growing daily...just weighed them all - I am recording their weights about every 3-4 days...necessary so I know that every one is eating a proper ration...lack of weight gain could mean something wrong...so far every meal time the puppies are so ready to eat - heads down until the last bit has been eaten...and looking for more.  Jazz is still feeding at will....by next weekend I will start limiting her visits...is the time to start weaning them at that point.

Mr. Green         ...
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Dream Litter

December 31, 2013
Puppies are now on 4 square meals a day with Jazz still nursing them througout the day.  They love their food!  Every meal is greeted with great enthusiasm and they don't stop until the last morsel is eaten.  We have expanded their area now to include the entire room they are in - they can still go in and out of their whelping box, but they are loving the extra space.  Blue/Green boy likes to try out his legs - running around cutting corners...he's a bit of a clown. They are playing more now....
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Dream Litter - growing up!

December 26, 2013
The Dream litter is growing up so quickly.  Today was the first day I fed them solids.  They were very ready for the extra food.  Jazz was producing milk but it seemed like it wasn't enough anymore - the gains had slowed down somewhat and they were a bit whiney.  I have some litters where I have to coax some to eat - smear food on their lips so they know that it's food.  Not with this litter - noses in the dishes - some of them climbed right onto the dishes to get the best angle on the food. ...
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Dream litter 3 weeks old

December 22, 2013
Three weeks old and big and healthy.  The heaviest puppy is 1.56 kgs (3.43 lbs) with Mr. Red the lightest at 1.06 (2.36 lbs)  Mr Red has been a bit smaller from day one - have no doubt he will catch up.  The puppies are very alert - they raise their little heads when they hear me - some bark because they're startled.  I like to get down on their level and talk to them...they all are curious about me and very accepting...they like to sniff me and lick my hands or suck on my fingers.  Their tee...
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Dream Litter 2 weeks old

December 15, 2013
Here we are - 2 weeks old.  Eyes are open...starting to move around the litter box more....coats are getting longer.
All puppies have more than doubled their weight,which is right on schedule.  Heaviest is 1.11 kg (2.44 lbs) and lightest is 796 grams (1lb 12 oz)The pictures seem to show the puppies with more color  than what they have...think it must be the lighting in the room.  Looking forward to the development this week - they will become more curious and explore their surroundings.  I sit...
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GoldSmith Retrievers est 1996